23
logo-2 accessibility CSBT
23
23 mast 23
23
social-fb social-tw social-ig
social-spacer social-spacer social-spacer
social-yt social-g social-in
Community Living Ontario  |  1 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S7
Telephone: 416 447 4348  |  Toll Free: 1 800 278 8025
chris@communitylivingontario.ca  |  unsubscribe  |  forward this email
If this email has been forwarded to you, please consider subscribing.
23
23 line 23
October 12, 2018
in-this-week
  1. Home and community focus of in-depth conversation
  2. Building a home and bringing the community together
  3. Summary of Co-designing Inclusive Cities session released
  4. Smile Cookies campaign brings in the dough
  5. Community Living Ontario helps Simcoe Community Services celebrate a milestone anniversary
  6. One-day workshop on Conscious Care and Support coming to Picton
  7. The Future of Work looks bright for the Job Opportunity Information Network
  8. Free communication courses geared to people who have a disability
23
23 top 23

Home and community focus of in-depth conversation

How can we create a good life in community, where affordable and accessible housing is a viable option for people who have an intellectual or developmental disability?

That was the purpose of Home and Community: An Evolutionary Conversation, a day-long gathering hosted by Community Living Ontario at the Toronto Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre on October 1st.

The work of community agencies that are taking the lead in supporting people and families in creating supports and options based on individual choice, the efforts of the Developmental Services Housing Task Force to seed innovative residential options, as well as the proliferation of congregate models of support served as the backdrop for the conversation.

Thought leaders, subject matter experts, academics, families, and people with lived experience pondered potential solutions in order to develop a set of criteria that will inform real, viable housing options.

Marilyn Forster-LoTurco is actively involved in Imagining Home and Intentionally-Built Communities, two housing initiatives supported by Durham Association for Family Resources and Support.

The Whitby resident said they want to have the ear of the various levels of government when it comes to affordable housing as a whole in the Durham Region, including for their loved ones who have a developmental disability.

“I’m wanting to look at getting the big picture pulled together, so that we can move on to a project that has the right parameters to it,” she said.

“I’m particularly interested in resurrecting cooperatives in [a] 2018 model, and [I] would like to see the kind of internal community that happens within a cooperative and have it be paired with the external community.”

Forster-LoTurco added that she feels her daughter, Sara, could really benefit from such a model. Her 28-year-old daughter is an entrepreneur and active member of her community.

“We’re very familiar with Rougemount Co-op in Pickering, and that’s the kind of life I would like for her to have. Maybe even have me live there too… She lives with me [currently] and, of course, that can’t continue, and she wants to have her own place.”

Representatives from the two housing initiatives have given deputations on affordable housing to the Town of Whitby and Durham Region, as well as to Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell.

“So, anywhere that anybody will listen to us, we talk,” she said, jokingly.

What is not a joke for Forster-LoTurco is the definition of affordability for people who have an intellectual or developmental disability. Affordable housing at 80% of market value does not reflect the reality for most people receiving ODSP income support or who have low income.

“Fixed and low income Ontarians cannot even hope to offer 25% or 30% of their income as a rental payment and expect to have a roof over their heads,” she added, arguing what is actually needed is rent geared to income.

Forster-LoTurco also stated a couple of town councillors are helping the groups to champion affordable housing, including changing legislation outside of the traditional developer fee system. They have also met with developers that are interested in pursuing affordable housing, but are prevented from doing so by current building restrictions.

Together, and using a co-design model, the group that gathered in Downtown Toronto last week identified ideal characteristics that pertain to person’s home, community, and the supports he or she would require, including affordability, comfort, and diversity. Supports that are portable, low key, or invisible to the public were also highlighted by the participants.

“We’re talking about people’s rights, people’s humanity, and our need to be in community,” said Community Living Ontario’s Chief Executive Officer, Chris Beesley, who told the group the conversations that were had achieved what he had hoped for.

“For any of us here, there’s nothing new. What we’ve discussed and written down, we all know, feel, and are passionate about. But when you put it all together, we have something that’s really vital and important.”

Once the information is compiled, the hope is what it will be shared with families, community agencies, municipalities, and the province as part of on-going conversations.

Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

CSBT offers a full range of affordable Group Benefits. Find out more by visiting our website today!

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

Building a home and bringing the community together

Patricia Franks is somewhat nervous and excited these days. The Community Liaison for the Caledon Area Families For Inclusion and the other members of the newly-formed family network have taken what were only plans several months ago and are making them a reality with support from their community.

Patricia was one of the participants in last week’s Home and Community conversation hosted by Community Living Ontario, and she shared what her group has been able to accomplish thus far around housing for adults who have an intellectual or developmental disability.

Through its Caledon Housing Initiative, Caledon Area Families For Inclusion entered into a partnership with Raising the Roof in September of 2017 to pilot a home-share concept in the Town of Caledon. The aim is to give two adults who have developmental disabilities the opportunity to explore supported, independent living in their home community.

Already a year into the pilot, the partnership has grown much like the community and families’ determination to see the project succeed. The Toronto Regional Conservation Authority has leased an unused piece of property, along with a former church that dates back to the 1800s, to Raising the Roof for $1 per year for the next two decades. Caledon Area Families For Inclusion has entered into a five-year sublease with Raising the Roof to oversee the pilot project, with an option to renew.

“Two of the adults that are connected with families through the Caledon Area Families For Inclusion network will be the initial occupants, along with a third person who does not have a disability and can benefit from the affordable living aspect of the house.”

Ms. Franks added that the third person will take on a home share responsibility, helping to oversee the safety of the other two tenants but not assume a support role. The church’s three new tenants, including Ms. Franks’ daughter, Gabi, are expected to move in by June of 2019. Until now, Patricia and Gabi have always lived under the same roof.

With assistance and support from the community, Raising the Roof is raising the funds to re-purpose the building. The Town of Caledon and the Region of Peel are also helping by providing funding, permits, and support to kick start the project, even donating 75% of the funds raised from the Town’s community golf tournament towards the pilot.

Raising the Roof is also receiving assistance from Building Up and Ryerson University to complete the renovation work, and The Home Depot held a volunteer day back in August, with staff cleaning up the property, building a fence, bus shelter, and peace garden.

Because the church is historic, the Heritage Board is providing direction on the restoration of the building’s exterior, but the inside will be totally new and the main floor will be wheelchair accessible. A grant has also been secured to make the church as energy efficient as possible.

“The Toronto Region Conservation Authority gets their building re-purposed, the Heritage people will have a proper-looking heritage structure, Building Up gets to train apprentices, and Raising the Roof is raising the money and will create this affordable house,” said Ms. Franks.

Despite all the support from the various organizations and the community, the pilot project does present some challenges that the tenants and families will have to overcome. The church is 10 minutes away from Patricia’s home, on the outskirts of town – there were no other buildings nearby that were suitable for the pilot. Transportation will still be provided to Gabi and her housemate through Caledon Community Services, so that they can continue to attend programs within their community.

“Even though this will be Gabi’s first place away from home,” added Patricia. “I doubt that it will be her last place. So, what are all the transitional needs? There are lease agreements to figure out, occupancy agreements to figure out, and in-house, sort of rules that everyone will have input into.”

Ms. Franks said the family network has formed a microboard to oversee the home’s operations, but it will be up to the families to find and coordinate their loved ones’ schedules and supports. Gabi has been working on developing a friends circle over the last year that she can rely on and do things with, apart from her mom.

When Gabi does move into her home next year, Patricia will continue to advocate for accessible and affordable housing for other adults who have an intellectual or developmental disability in her community.

“One of the big concerns as we started all of the discussion here is [that] there are no housing options for these young adults, and we need to start creating those options,” concluded Ms. Franks.

“So down the road when Gabrielle moves someplace else, that opens a space in this house that will exist for someone else to make that transition, have that opportunity, and already have an idea of how things work because the bugs have been worked out.” 

Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

Interested in knowing how your agency can benefit from an online registration space? Contact Shawn Ratnasingam at admin@mycommunityhub.ca.

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

Summary of Co-designing Inclusive Cities session released

Two weeks ago, Community Living Ontario and several member organizations came together, in-person and online, to help the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University explore how to make smart technologies more inclusive and accessible when it comes to housing, transportation, and energy use, among other areas.

The Inclusive Design Research Centre has since put together a report summarizing the comments and recommendations from the Co-designing Inclusive Cities session on September 26th in Downtown Toronto.

The participants were put into three groups of four or five people, and nine additional participants joined the conversation remotely. The questions for the groups were designed to initiate discussions around people’s positive and negative experiences navigating their own neighbourhoods, and to brainstorm ways to better include people of all abilities.

When it came to not addressing people’s needs and capabilities, “Several groups were concerned that meeting accessibility standards does not necessarily translate into accessibility for people with varying needs,” according to the report.

“For example, having access to pedestrian signals on traffic lights doesn’t make them more accessible.”

One group points out in the report that, “…when people with lived experiences of disability are not directly involved in the design and development process, the final outcome does not meet their needs.”

The report also mentions the lack of community building and a seemingly greater focus on privacy in new housing developments, which results in neighbours not knowing each other and being less aware of each other’s needs.

All the groups emphasized the importance of community and shared spaces for the wellbeing of people who have an intellectual or developmental disability.

The summary of the session also addresses ways to educate cities and towns on accessibility and people’s needs, as well as design and technology that facilitates a thriving community.

The full report is available by clicking here.

The Research Centre, which collaborates with others to ensure that emerging information technology is designed inclusively, is working with Sidewalk Labs on the development of a "smart district", called Quayside, along Toronto's eastern waterfront. The information and recommendations gathered from the co-design session have also been sent to Sidewalk Labs to help in the design process.

Aside from Community Living Ontario, New Visions Toronto, Montage Support Services, and Community Living Toronto participated in-person, while Community Living Essex County, Rygiel Supports for Community Living in Hamilton, Simcoe Community Services in Barrie, and Community Living London took part remotely.

Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

Click on the banner to register for the Rethinking Disabilities Conference!

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

Smile Cookies campaign brings in the dough

Several Community Living organizations across the province are all smiles following the successful conclusion of Tim Hortons’ annual Smile Cookies campaign.

They were among the Canadian charities and community programs to share in the $7.8 million that was generated from September 17th to the 23rd. Customers purchased a Smile Cookie for $1 at participating restaurants, and the full $1 was then donated by the franchise owners to various groups.

Community Living North Bay received $44,688, followed by Community Living West Nipissing at $19,369, and Community Living South Muskoka at over $13,000.

Community Living Central York, Community Living Mississauga, and Community Living Port Colborne-Wainfleet also took part in the campaign, but their totals have yet to be released.

Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

Community Living Ontario helps Simcoe Community Services celebrate a milestone anniversary

Community Living Ontario’s Chief Executive Officer Chris Beesley was the guest speaker at Simcoe Community Services’ 65th Annual General Meeting and Gift of the Heart of Awards on October 3rd in Barrie.

In presenting Simcoe Community Services with a framed Community Living Ontario certificate recognizing the achievements on their anniversary of service to their community, Beesley observed, “It’s what you do and what you stand for that matters. Simcoe Community Services stands for community, people, and inclusion, and that’s what we’re all about at Community Living Ontario.”  

Supported by Simcoe Community Services, local artist Shawn Ladouceur presented Beesley with one of his original oil paintings as a token of appreciation following his remarks.

You can view Beesley’s entire address to Simcoe Community Services by clicking here.

Submitted by Jamie Hall, Simcoe Community Services

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

See our latest, free learning module called Social Media – Expand Your Reach!  Visit the REAL Xchange site today – click here. Interested in learning more? Contact us at realxchange@communitylivingessex.org.

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

One-day workshop on Conscious Care and Support coming to Picton

On Thursday, October 25th, Community Living Prince Edward will be offering a one-day workshop about Conscious Care and Support.

Incorporating the most recent published research regarding anxiety-caused agitation and aggression, Conscious Care and Support applies various disciplines to address a person’s unmet needs. The applications include biomedicine, mindfulness, neurofeedback, sensory integration, and more.

The workshop will focus on two essential elements in supporting people who have an intellectual disability – Discovering Insights, Understanding and Tools, which introduces participants to the most critical unmet needs of support that can lead to anxiety, agitation or aggression. Becoming Mindful and Emotionally Mature Supporters speaks to learning to read and be intuitive of a person’s unmet needs much sooner, in order to respond from a place of knowing that is based on self-awareness and emotional self-regulation.

Peter Marks, CEO of A Centre for Conscious Care, will lead the workshop. With over 35 years of experience working with people living with a disability, families and support teams, Peter is also the author of Conscious Care and Support for Individuals with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities and has been a mindfulness facilitator in Canada, the United States, and Mexico since 1993.

The workshop, which takes place from 9 am to 4 pm at the Salvation Army in Picton, is $55 and lunch will be provided. To register, contact Brenda McIntosh at Brenda.mcintosh@clpe.on.ca or at (613) 476-6038 ext. 124.

Click here to download the event flyer.

Marwa Osman, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

The Future of Work looks bright for the Job Opportunity Information Network

The Ontario Job Opportunity Information Network will be hosting their annual conference on December 3rd and 4th, enabling people who have a disability, employers, and service providers from across the province to take part in workshops and discussions around disability in the workplace and how to be more inclusive.

The theme of this year’s conference is the Future of Work, and the focus will be on the ever-evolving workplace. Discussions will be centered around people, technology, and place, so participants leave the conference educated and inspired to adapt (and stand out) as an inclusive place to work in the modern labour market.

New to the conference, the Network will have a Career Marketplace on December 3rd, an entire day geared towards people who have a disability and who are searching for work. Jobseekers will have the opportunity to visit booths with accessibility resources, employment resources, and employers looking to fill positions.

Participating in the Career Marketplace as an organization is free of charge and includes breakfast and lunch. For organizations that want to gain as much as possible from participating in the Marketplace, they can become a sponsor for $250. The sponsorship includes promotion in the conference program, social media shout-outs, and a ticket to the full conference (a $325 value).

Click here to download the event flyer.

For more information on the conference, contact Annette Wing by email at annette.wing@joininfo.ca or by phone at (416) 458-7569. Emily Mahoney can be reached at emily.mahoney@joininfo.ca or by phone at (437) 997-3967.

Marwa Osman, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

Free communication courses geared to people who have a disability

Communications Disabilities Access Canada is offering free online communication courses for people who work for a community agency and want to learn how to better assist people who have a disability to communicate in their community. The courses are free and are being offered until January 31, 2019. The courses are taught by instructors who have lived experience.

All the courses:

  • Address accessibility for people with speech, language communication disabilities, not caused by significant hearing loss
  • Are given by instructors who have communication disabilities
  • Can be taken at a person’s own pace, anytime until January 31, 2019
  • Provide a certificate of attendance

There are three course offerings being provided:

Making Your Services Accessible for People with Communication Disabilities teaches how to provide services to people with communication disabilities in-person, over the phone, at meetings, at public events, and through written information. It is a 40-minute class and is best for people working in government, public, private and non-profit organizations. Learn more about this course here.

Communication Assistance instructs participants on the many ways to assist people with communication disabilities with interactions at appointments and meetings. The class is two to three hours in duration and is an ideal learning opportunity for students in the disability sector and for those who support people who have disabilities. Eligible participants are then able to apply to be included in the Communication Assistance Database at the end of the course. Find more information about this course by clicking here.

How to Work with A Communication Assistant covers finding, hiring, training, and working with communication assistants. The course is two hours in length and is designed for people who have a communication disability and/or their family members. Additional information about this course can be found here.

To register for any of the courses, fill out the registration form on the Communications Disabilities Access Canada website.

If you have any questions regarding the courses mentioned above, please contact Shelley Deegan at sddeegan@sympatico.ca.

Marwa Osman, Community Living Ontario

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

The Inspiring Possibilities Estate Planning Guide, developed by Community Living Ontario and PooranLaw Professional Corporation, is intended for families and their loved ones who have a disability to ensure that their financial arrangements and current considerations are respected.

Download this free comprehensive online resource today by visiting www.PlanInspiringPossibilities.ca.

bottom
bottom
23 top 23
arrow

bottom
bottom
23 top 23

Sponsorship Disclaimer

Community Living Ontario maintains independence over the editorial content of its communications. While sponsorships assist with our communication efforts, sponsors have no editorial input or influence on the information itself. Click here to read the Sponsorship Disclaimer in its entirety.

bottom
bottom
23
23